Johnny Cage (Aboodash56)
Appearance Johnny Cage is depicted as the typical American action movie star; bare muscular build with karate pants and his trademark sunglasses. In his debut, his clothing was modeled directly after Jean-Claude Van Damme's character in Bloodsport, consisting of black shorts with a red sash and black shoes. From MKII to MK: Armageddon, he is depicted with black pants with blue accents. In Deadly Alliance and Armageddon, he had his hair dyed dirty blonde. In MK 2011, he initially wore his outfit from the original Mortal Kombat, but as the Story Mode progresses, he has a similar outfit from MKII, but with slight changes: he keeps his sunglasses on all the time, his chest is tattooed with his own name, he has straps on his arms and hands, his pants' accents are blue, and his last name is on his belt. In MKX, 20 years prior to the main events of the game, he sports a military vest and pants. His default form in the same game features him with a black leather jacket with white stripes, along with a gray hoodie and grayish blue shirt that partially covers his name tattooed on his chest underneath, dark blue jeans and black sneakers. He also has bandages wrapped around his wrists and black fingerless gloves. Personality Cocksure and self-absorbed, Johnny Cage is an anomaly in the Mortal Kombat universe, a glamorous Hollywood celebrity surrounded by hardened killers, military operatives, and warrior monks. Having honed his skills for use on the silver screen rather than actual combat, he does not seem to approach his opponents with the same degree of seriousness that his fellow heroes do, seeing his fights as more of a performance than a struggle. While he can be dismissive, Cage is deadly serious about his reputation, which was the primary motivation for his entrance into the first tournament. Though he had achieved great success in his cinematic endeavors, it was assumed that wire work and special effects were responsible for his many astounding physical feats. Cage had traveled extensively to receive training from martial arts masters the world over, and he bristled at the notion that anyone would think he'd resort to cheap tricks to perform his signature moves. Needing no more cause than his ego to put himself in harm's way, Johnny joins the tournament's participants in order to silence the naysayers and find inspiration for a new blockbuster film. Although usually self-centered, Johnny Cage is essentially good-natured, and has never hesitated to assist Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, or any of his other Earthrealm companions in defending the realm against the various forces that have threatened to invade it. And while his flippant attitude could be seen as juvenile, he injects a needed dose of levity into the series' somber proceedings, being one of the few characters with enough detachment from the turmoils and troubles of the tournament to recognize its absurdity. In fact, he has on more than one occasion flirted with breaking the fourth wall entirely, whether it be by acknowledging the inevitability of Mortal Kombat 3 in his Mortal Kombat II ending, or expressing displeasure with his own death in his Deadly Alliance biography. Johnny is definitely to be taken tongue-in-cheek, and his antics over the franchise's history serve as an antidote to the overt seriousness that otherwise pervades it. In spite of his showboating bravado, Johnny Cage is quite formidable when he lets his fists do the talking. One of his main tools is the Shadow Kick, so named for the shadowy trail it leaves in his wake. His Force Ball is also unique in that it flies toward his foe in an arcing trajectory, making it possible for him to use his fireball as an anti-air attack while on the ground. Fond of catching his opponents off guard, Johnny's most devious tool is his "Low Blow," a splits punch to the groin that will leave any male combatant doubled over in pain. History Pre-Mortal Kombat Born John Carlton, Johnny Cage is a descendant of an ancient Mediterranean cult who bred warriors for the gods, warriors who possessed power beyond that of mortals. This legacy has made Johnny Cage a star. Cage was trained by great masters from around the world and used his talents on the big screen. At the time of the 10th Mortal Kombat tournament, Cage was the current box-office champ and star of such movies as Dragon Fist and Dragon Fist II as well as the award-winning Sudden Violence. Mortal Kombat prologue He decided to join the Mortal Kombat tournament to prove himself as a fighter. He went to the harbor and waited for the ship that would take him to Shang Tsung's island, along with his agent and personal secretary. Both were fearful about his security, and tried to convince him to not attend the tournament. Cage, however, said that no one would even touch him. After he boarded the ship, Cage was harassed by the Black Dragon leader known as Kano and his allies. A fellow Shaolin Monk named Liu Kang managed to help Cage, beating several of the thugs, while the superstar attacked a distracted Kano, knocking him down with a Shadow Kick. After the brawl, Cage and Kang presented each other. Original Timeline= Mortal Kombat Arriving at the island, Cage joined forces with Liu Kang and Sonya, a member of the United States Special Forces, and during the tournament, they became great friends. Johnny, Liu Kang and Sonya formed an alliance to protect Earthrealm and they were mentored by the Thunder God, Raiden. During the final battle between Liu Kang and Shang Tsung, Johnny teamed up with Sonya and Kano to fight Goro near the pit. When Shang Tsung's island fortress began to crumble because of his defeat at the hands of Liu Kang, Raiden saved Johnny and dropped him off at a boat that belonged to the Special Forces Agency near the island. There, he met Major Jackson Briggs and was interrogated by him on the whereabouts of Sonya. Johnny told Jax all about the events on the island, but the major didn't believe him. After Johnny was set free, he made the movie Mortal Kombat, based on his experiences. Mortal Kombat II Due to a recording from Sonya received by the U.S. Special Forces, Jax realized that Cage's version of the history was true and the Major went to meet with the superstar once more to personally apologize for disbelieving him. Not long after that, Cage was shooting a commercial and was suddenly attacked by a revitalized Shang Tsung, Kintaro, Baraka, Kitana, Mileena, and Jade. At the same time that Jax arrived in the set, Cage was violently blasted trough the wall right in front of him. Jax managed to help him fight against the invaders, taking on the mighty Shokan, Kintaro. They were later joined by the other Earthrealm warriors who helped them fight the horde off. Raiden appeared, put an end to the fight, and Shang Tsung proposed a new Mortal Kombat tournament. Once again, Johnny reunited with his allies to protect Earthrealm, traveling into Outworld. Eventually, Liu Kang challenged Shao Kahn, proving again that he was the true champion of Mortal Kombat; Kang defeated the emperor within inches of his life. Mortal Kombat 3 After his defeat at the hands of Liu Kang, Shao Kahn led a massive invasion against Earthrealm in order to take this realm by force. Earthrealm was attacked by Kahn's extermination squad, and during this entire riot, Johnny Cage was killed in a fight against Motaro, leader of Kahn's forces. Cage's soul was unable to ascend to a higher plane of existence, and returned to its body. Mortal Kombat 4 After Shao Kahn’s defeat at the hands of Liu Kang, Johnny’s soul was free to leave to a higher place. Johnny watched from the heavens as the events unfolded and the fallen Elder God Shinnok attacked Earthrealm. Johnny Cage sought out Raiden so that he could restore his deceased soul; the restoration of Johnny's soul allowed him to fight alongside the Earthrealm defenders once more and to help defeat Shinnok. After the defeat of Shinnok, it appeared as though Raiden’s revival of Cage was permanent as he did not ascend back to the heavens but instead remained on Earth. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Years later, Johnny Cage went on to film Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage, in which he was repeatedly killed and brought back to life. Upset at the way he was being portrayed, believing his own adventures were far more entertaining, he wanted out of the movie but he couldn't due to his contract. As luck would have it, he was approached by Raiden, who asked him to help fight the Deadly Alliance of Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. Raiden told him to go to Shang Tsung's island for further instructions. He found a loophole in his contract and left the movie. He would then use this new adventure to make his own movie. Arriving on the island by way of parachute, he learned of Liu Kang's death and went to Outworld to help his friends fight the Deadly Alliance. Mortal Kombat: Deception Cage was killed during the final assault on the Deadly Alliance (he, Sonya, and Jax were overwhelmed by the Deadly Alliance's Tarkatan warriors besides Kung Lao and Kitana were killed by Shang Tsung and Quan Chi). Soon afterward, he was resurrected by Onaga and made into his slave. Some time later, he was freed from this state by Ermac and the spirit of Liu Kang. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Johnny became disheartened that both Raiden and Liu Kang were unable to unite and lead the Earthrealm warriors. Then, he began to receive visions of Shinnok creating several portals in different realms. He decided to visit these areas to confirm his visions, and sure enough, he found evidence that Shinnok had been there. Deciding to take action, Johnny Cage saw in his visions that Shinnok's next destination was Shang Tsung's island fortress. When he arrived at the island, he saw Shinnok scheming with Quan Chi to take Shao Kahn's fortress by force. When Quan Chi vanished back through the portal which he came through, Johnny Cage attacked. He caught Shinnok off guard and appeared to have the upper hand, until the former Elder God retreated in a cloud of smoke, leaving Johnny to decide what to do next. Soon after, Cage began gathering many of the good-aligned warriors such as Nightwolf, Sub-Zero and Kenshi to create an army to fight against the Forces of Darkness during the Battle of Armageddon. During the final battle, Cage fought against Reptile and Erron Black. The resulting battle killed nearly all fighters present, including Cage, who was decapitated by an unknown opponent. |-|Revised Timeline= Mortal Kombat Upon arriving at Shang Tsung's island, Johnny Cage meets Sonya Blade and tries to hit on her, much to her annoyance. In the first match of the tournament, Johnny is pitted against Ermac, by Shang Tsung, after making insulting comments regarding Tsung's age. He defeats Ermac, and celebrates his victory by bad-mouthing the other kombatants and flirting with Sonya before being ordered to face Baraka, who he believes is just another actor in make-up. Johnny defeats Baraka and is commanded by Shang Tsung to kill him. Initially taking this as a joke, Johnny, realising that Tsung is serious, refuses to do so. Afterwards, everyone begins to leave and Johnny is approached by Raiden and Liu Kang, who attempt to inform him of what will happen to Earthrealm should they fail to win the tournament. Johnny, however, doesn't believe anything that they say, stating that he is an actor, and only saves the world in movies. He then leaves to catch up to Sonya, in an attempt to ask her out on a date. Johnny finds Sonya on the bridge high above the Pit and continues to flirt with her. Frustrated by his persistence, Sonya attacks him. Johnny manages to subdue Sonya, but feels guilty about the fight. Shortly after, Kano appears and throws Johnny off of the bridge, but he is able to grab onto the edge. Kano, seeing that Sonya is "softened up" from the fight with Johnny, seizes the opportunity to finish her off. Johnny then leaps back onto the bridge, steps in and defeats Kano in combat, earning the respect and gratitude of Sonya in the process. After Sonya helps an injured Jax escape from Goro's Lair, and defeats Kitana, Jade and Kano in combat, the three of them are lead away by Shang Tsung, leaving Sonya and the injured Jax alone. Johnny, Raiden, and Liu Kang then appear. Raiden uses his powers to heal Jax, while Johnny explains to Sonya that Raiden is a God. Johnny, Sonya, and Jax agree to help Raiden. Later in the tournament, Shang Tsung arranges a match between Johnny and Reptile, who is assigned by the sorcerer to kill him. Johnny is defeated by Reptile, but the assassin spares his life on behalf of Raiden. Due to his loss, Johnny is eliminated from the tournament. When the tournament ends in triumph for Earthrealm following Liu Kang's victory over Shang Tsung in the final bout, Johnny and the other Earthrealm warriors congratulate Kang on his victory. When Shang Tsung's island fortress began to crumble because of his defeat at the hands of Liu Kang, Raiden saved Johnny, Sonya, Liu Kang and Kung Lao and dropped them off at a boat that belonged to the Special Forces Agency near the island. They later arrive to the celebration at the Wu Shi Academy. When the Tarkatans attack the Academy, Jax is knocked unconscious. When he awakens, Johnny is one of the Earth warriors who is seen standing over him. Jax learns of Sonya's capture by Shang Tsung, and all of the warriors proceed to the second tournament. While Liu Kang and Kung Lao are sent to free their Shaolin masters from the Tarkatans, Johnny stays with Jax and Raiden. After Jax defeats Baraka, Raiden receives a vision of Sonya's scheduled execution and teleports the three of them to the Armory. Johnny berates Raiden about his teleporting that has left the three of them lost. Still attracted to Sonya, he starts questioning Jax about his relationship with her. Jax explains that he is Sonya's commanding officer, nothing more, but loses his temper when Johnny continues to brag about his interest in Sonya and gets into a fight with him. The scuffle is ended by Raiden, and the three are confronted by Jade, who orders them to leave immediately. Jax defeats Jade and apologizes to Johnny for his behaviour. Accepting the apology, Johnny continues to accompany Jax and Raiden to the Dead Pool where Sonya is being guarded by Sheeva and her guards. Defeating them, they free Sonya, and Raiden orders Johnny to stay close to him. Johnny and Raiden travel to the Living Forest, where Raiden saves Smoke from the Lin Kuei cyborgs. After Sub-Zero is captured by the Lin Kuei cyborgs, Raiden holds back Smoke to prevent the cyborgs from taking him away as well. Johnny can be seen alongside Smoke during the events. As Raiden realizes that his earlier actions of sparing Smoke have led to the automation of Sub-Zero, he decides to speak to Kitana, to which Johnny replies, "Sure, let's go ruin someone else's life." When the Earth warriors approach Kitana in the Wastelands, she attacks them. Johnny reluctantly fights Kitana alongside Smoke but are both defeated. After Raiden tells Kitana to search in the Flesh Pits, the Earth warriors leave. They return to the Wastelands and find Jade, who had moments earlier defeated Mileena. Smoke enters a fight with Jade, believing Mileena (Kitana's clone) to be Kitana herself and that Jade had betrayed her. After Jade defeats Smoke, Raiden talks to Jade while Liu Kang, Johnny, and Kung Lao chat in the distance, mainly consisting of the two monks belittling Cage. When Jade informs the Earth warriors of Kitana's capture, Kung Lao and Liu Kang go to free Kitana, while Johnny stays with Raiden to continue in the tournament. Johnny is later defeated and eliminated from the tournament by Ermac. Johnny returns during the Earthrealm invasion, fighting Motaro on The Street. Raiden intervenes and kills Motaro, altering the timeline to allow Johnny's survival. Johnny appears with the Earth warriors during their discussions and when they are ambushed by Lin Kuei cyborgs, who they successfully defeat. When Sindel emerges, she battles and kills most of the Earth warriors, however, Johnny, along with Sonya, survives the onslaught. When Raiden attempts to stop Liu Kang from attacking Shao Kahn, Johnny and Sonya arrive to witness Liu Kang being electrocuted. While Raiden tends to Liu Kang, both Johnny and Sonya attempt to fight Shao Kahn, who easily blasts them away, knocking both unconcious. After Raiden defeats Shao Kahn and the Elder Gods take Shao Kahn away for punishment, Johnny and Sonya help Raiden to his feet. Johnny, along with Sonya and Liu Kang´s body, is teleported away by Raiden. Mortal Kombat X prologue A few years after the Battle of Earthrealm, Johnny and Kenshi join Sonya and the Special Forces in the fight against Shinnok. Along the way to the Sky Temple, their aircraft is attacked by Scorpion and Sub-Zero and the soldiers are killed. After they crash, Johnny defeats both ninjas, lamenting that he liked it better when he and Sub-Zero fought on the same side. He then joins Sonya and Kenshi and they continue on. In the forest, the three of them and their forces are attacked by the revenant Smoke, now calling himself Enenra, Jax, and Nightwolf. After defeating Enenra, Johnny rescues Sonya from Jax and defeats him, promising to “fix him someday.” After reminding her that Jax is not himself, the two of them join Kenshi and head for the Sky Temple after the ninja finds the portal. They arrive at the Jinsei just in time to save Raiden and Fujin from Shinnok, but no one is able to defeat the fallen Elder God. As Shinnok prepares to enslave Sonya, Johnny leaps in between, blocking the attack with his inner power. After defeating the god, he kicks the amulet back to Raiden, who uses it to capture and seal Shinnok inside. He then stays in the Jinsei with an unconscious Sonya, allowing the chamber’s power to heal her. Kenshi questions why he’s smiling, and he answers that it is because she called him “Johnny.” After the battle, Johnny learns from Raiden that his power comes from his ancestry of a Mediterranean war cult. Since he could not awaken the power after the battle with Shinnok, the Elder God speculates that it triggers whenever Johnny sees a loved one in danger. Sometime later, Johnny and Sonya infiltrate Quan Chi’s fortress, where they are attacked by the sorcerer and his revenants. Johnny defeats Sub-Zero and Jax, but is later stabbed in the back by the latter. As he lays dying, his revenant starts to take form. Raiden arrives and stalls the process long enough for Sonya to defeat Quan Chi. The thunder god then reverses the spell, saving Johnny and reverting Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Jax to their human forms. After defeating Shinnok in the Jinsei Chamber, Johnny stayed with Sonya as the chamber's properties healed her. When Sonya awoke in his arms, he assured her the fallen Elder God was defeated and that Raiden would ensure he would never escape again. When Sonya complimented him for selflessly battling Shinnok, Johnny brushed it off and instead praised her for surviving a direct hit from the Elder God's amulet. Johnny then asked Sonya if he could take her to dinner and a movie before they went their separate ways after the war, and to his delight Sonya agreed. Twenty-Year gap Four months later, Johnny was in his condo in LA when Sonya arrived, and an excited Johnny answered his door, allowing Sonya in. Johnny talked Sonya's head off, saying he understood she didn't want a boyfriend while going on how they celebrated "like adults" after the war, before asking if Sonya had fallen in love with him. Sonya told Johnny to shut up before stunning him with the news she was pregnant. Johnny and Sonya would marry, and Sonya would give birth to a girl they would name Cassandra Cage, but their marriage was hardly perfect. However, Sonya gets caught up with her work and she spends less time with her family. This angers Johnny and the two of them divorce, though they would still see each other due to their work for Special Forces. Mortal Kombat X Twenty years after the victory over Shinnok, Johnny creates a special team comprising of Cassie, Jax’s daughter Jacqui, Kenshi’s son Takeda, and Kung Lao’s younger cousin Kung Jin. For their first mission, Johnny sends them to the Lin Kuei Temple to assert if Sub-Zero is still their ally. But it is later revealed that Johnny and Sub-Zero set them up so the Grandmaster can test their skills as a team. They are then called back to base by Sonya, and they learn from the refugee leader Li Mei that Mileena is in possession of Shinnok’s amulet. When they find out that Kano is among the refugees, Johnny prepares to go with Sonya but she orders him to talk to Colonel Flagg to keep him away. He angrily confronts his ex-wife later, saying that there was a time where she put her family first before her job. At the refugee camp, Sonya finds and defeats Kano. As she chokes him, the mercenary says that she will never find Shinnok’s amulet if she kills him. Johnny pleads for Sonya to stop so that she will not do another thing that she will regret. She complies and Kano talks. After learning the amulet’s location, Johnny joins Sonya at Jax’s home to persuade him in helping them capture Quan Chi. He also assures Jax that Jacqui is fine and that the team will succeed in their mission, not knowing that they have been captured by Kotal Kahn. When Jax succeeds in capturing Quan Chi, the sorcerer is brought to Earthrealm as prisoner so Raiden can make him undo the spell on his revenants. But Scorpion, now Hanzo Hasashi, infiltrates the base to kill the sorcerer for the murder of his clan and family. Johnny, Sonya and Kenshi try to stop him but are all defeated and bound. D'Vorah then arrives with the amulet, allowing Quan Chi to release Shinnok before he is beheaded by Hanzo. The fallen god defeats everyone with his amulet, and Johnny is taken captive to the Sky Temple. At the Jinsei, Johnny is bounded by D’Vorah as Shinnok corrupts Earthrealm’s life force. D’Vorah then unleashes her flesh-eating bugs on Johnny, leaving horrible scars on his face. Cassie then arrives with Kung Jin and defeats D’Vorah. As she tries to free him, Johnny pleads for her to stop Shinnok. He whispers that he loves her before passing out. During the fight, Shinnok begins to drain Johnny’s life with the amulet, causing him to scream in agony. But Cassie steps in and unleashes her inherited powers, eventually defeating Shinnok. After Raiden heals the Jinsei, Johnny is attended to by Cassie. Sonya later arrives, and he tells her how their daughter defeated Shinnok. She replies that he did a great job with his team and calls him “Johnny,” something that he is glad to hear. The three stay close, a family once again. Character Relationships *Born as John Carlton in Vince, California. *Descendant of an ancient Mediterranean cult who bred warriors for the gods. *Married Cindy Ford and later divorced her. *A Hollywood movie star, trained in martial arts by great masters around the world. *Ally of Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sonya, Raiden, Kitana, Jax, and Sub-Zero. Original Timeline *Entered Shang Tsung's Mortal Kombat tournament. *Defeated Kano at the Nethership. *Saved Sonya from an attack by Kano and defeated him in combat, earning Sonya's appreciation and respect in the process. *Defeated by Liu Kang at the end of the tournament. *Fought Goro at the end of the first tournament, alongside Sonya and Kano. *Attacked by Kitana, Mileena, Baraka, Shang Tsung, Jade, and Kintaro before the Outworld Tournament. Jax arrived and helped him. *Entered Shao Kahn's tounament in Outworld. *Killed by Motaro, the leader of Shao Kahn's squad during Kahn's invasion on Earthrealm. *Seeked out Raiden to help him restore his deceased soul and join Liu Kang in his quest to defeat Shinnok. *Joined the Earthrealm warriors to fight Shinnok in the Netherrealm Invasion. *Joined Raiden's forces to fight the Deadly Alliance. *Defeated Erron Black, aka Salazar, at Shang Tsung's Palace Grounds. *Mortally wounded by Baraka's Tarkatan hordes and died in Sonya's arms. *Revived by Onaga to serve him. *Freed from Onaga's spell by Ermac and Spirit Liu Kang. *Received strange visions about the former Elder God, Shinnok. *Investigates his visions, who leads him to Shinnok's new plan. *Defeated Shinnok's clone before Armageddon. *Gathered the Forces of Light to fight Shinnok's forces in Armageddon. *Defeated Raiden at the subway after Raiden attacked Sonya. *Led the Forces of Light at the Battle of Armageddon. *Decapitated by an unknown opponent. Alternative Timeline *Entered Shang Tsung's Mortal Kombat tournament. *Defeated Kano at the Nethership. *Saved Sonya from an attack by Kano and defeated him in combat, earning Sonya's appreciation and respect in the process. *Defeated by Liu Kang at the end of the tournament. *Fought Goro at the end of the first tournament, alongside Sonya and Kano. *Attacked by Kitana, Mileena, Baraka, Shang Tsung, Jade, and Kintaro before the Outworld Tournament. Jax arrived and helped him. *Entered Shao Kahn's tounament in Outworld. *Fought Motaro during the Earthrealm invasion, but the fight was interrupted by Raiden, who killed Motaro in order to defend Johnny Cage. *Joined the Earthrealm warriors to stop Shao Kahn. *Defeated the Lin Kuei cyborgs along with the Earthrealm warriors. *He and Sonya fought Ermac, but they were defeated. *Became one of the survivors of the Earthrealm Invasion, alongside Raiden, Liu Kang, Sonya and Kitana. *Joined the fight against Shinnok during the Netherrealm War. *Aided Raiden in defeating Shinnok at the end of the Netherealm War. *Became romantically involved with Sonya after the Netherrealm War, eventually becoming the father of Cassie Cage. *Divorced Sonya due to her preoccupation with Special Forces. *Assembled a Special Forces team composed of Cassie, Jacqui Briggs, Kung Jin, and Takahashi Takeda. *Captured by Shinnok to prevent interference from Johnny. *Rescued by Cassie and Sonya after Shinnok's defeat, resulting in a family reunion. 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